They came to town with big plans and high hopes. “The communities that have this connectivity [high-speed fiber optic cable] in the future are going to prosper,” Daniel Limerick, president and CEO of RST Fiber Optics Networks, told 75 people on May 14, 2014, during one of three meetings in the Renaissance Centre. “Wake Forest is going to be our show place,” Limerick said. “I can’t wait until we get this completed.” When it is complete, Limerick said, people who experience the high-speed connection at home in town and then go to Raleigh to work will say, I’ve got to work out of my home. “The value of your home [with the fiber connection] will go up $5,000 to $7,000.” But by June of this year The Shelby Star newspaper reported that RST had experienced outages in Shelby [headquarters for RST and its first full installation] lasting up to four

Mayor Vivian Jones and the Wake Forest Board of Commissioners are inviting area residents to meet the new town manager, Kip Padgett, during a July 21 reception. The occasion is scheduled from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the second floor lobby of the Wake Forest Town Hall, 301 S. Brooks St. Padgett began his new duties July 6. He succeeds longtime manager Mark Williams who retired in April. Light refreshments will be served, and the reception is open to the public. Following the reception the board of commissioners will hold its regular monthly meeting beginning at 7 p.m.

The Wake Forest Police Department (WFPD) is encouraging area residents, businesses, neighborhood groups and homeowners associations to show their support for police-community crime prevention partnerships by participating in this year’s National Night Out on Tuesday, Aug. 4. National Night Out (NNO) teams law enforcement agencies with citizens, community leaders, civic groups and local businesses to promote safe, healthy neighborhoods. The NNO observance, always held on the first Tuesday in August, is designed to heighten crime and drug prevention awareness; generate support for, and participation in, local anticrime programs; strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships; and send a message to criminals letting them know neighborhoods are organized and fighting back. The WFPD is marking this special occasion by hosting a National Night Out “Street Party” from 5 to 7:30 p.m. in town hall’s Centennial Plaza and along Brooks Street in downtown Wake Forest. Town hall is located at 301 S. Brooks

The Wake Forest Renaissance Centre for the Arts will host the “Forest of Wake Storytelling Festival” on Saturday, Aug. 15. Featuring four professional storytellers, along with entertaining workshops and concerts for children and adults, the festival will introduce the art of storytelling to the Wake Forest community and celebrate one of humanity’s oldest art forms. Audiences of ages 6 and older are sure to relate to the colorful, humorous and inspirational stories shared by the lineup of storytellers, including Cary’s Alan Hoal, Ron Jones and Pamela Alberda from Durham and Raleigh’s Henry Gogel. Hoal is a highly energetic and animated storyteller who has taken home numerous storytelling awards. He travels throughout the United States telling stories at festivals and retreats as well as at colleges, secondary schools and libraries. He has also shared his talents at church, corporate and civic events. Hoal has a diverse repertoire from the hilarious, to

You can make a difference in our community by applying to fill an opening on the Urban Forestry Board (UFB). Residents of Wake Forest and its extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) are eligible to apply. The UFB was created to oversee Wake Forest’s Urban Forestry Program including the town’s annual Arbor Day observance, Tree Seedling Giveaway and planting events. The UFB also advises the board of commissioners on policies relating to trees and landscape regulations. Completed applications will be accepted until 5 p.m., Wednesday, July 22, and may be mailed or delivered to Town Clerk Deeda Harris, Wake Forest Town Hall, 301 S. Brooks St., Wake Forest, NC 27587, emailed to dharris@wakeforestnc.gov or faxed to 919-435-9419. Applicants will have the opportunity to appear before the UFB on Tuesday, July 28, at 6:30 p.m. The UFB meets each month in the ground floor meeting room at town hall, 301 S. Brooks St. The board of